Riot Games has officially cleared Ava “florescent” Eugene and confirmed she remains eligible to compete in all Riot-sanctioned events. The decision came on March 30, 2026, through a procedural update posted on the Valorant Esports NA account on X.
Riot completed a formal review under the Esports Global Code of Conduct. The statement read: “This was a personal matter, and no sufficient evidence was found to determine that a violation of the Global Code of Conduct occurred. In conclusion, no competitive penalties will be issued, and Ava ‘florescent’ Eugene remains eligible to compete in Riot-sanctioned events.”
That closes a review process that had been running since May 2025.
How the Allegations Started
On May 17, 2025, former Game Changers player Marceline “karie” Carson brought forward allegations on behalf of a friend identified only as “Brick,” who claimed florescent had sexually assaulted her.
Riot released a statement through the official VCT X account the following day, saying they were aware of the allegations. They said they would cooperate fully with any legal investigation and assess whether the situation would affect florescent’s eligibility for future competition.
Riot did not name florescent in that statement, which drew criticism from parts of the community. Many pointed out that in the 2021 case involving Jay “Sinatraa” Won, Riot had publicly named the player and issued a competitive suspension while the review was active.
Florescent denied the allegations. She described the relationship as “mutually toxic,” called the accusations false, and said she was seeking legal advice.
florescent’s Path to VCT
To understand why this ruling matters, a bit of background helps. florescent became the first Game Changers eligible player to compete in a VCT International League, joining Apeks for VCT EMEA in the 2025 season.
She had previously competed in Game Changers with Misfits Black, Version1, and Shopify Rebellion. In 2024, Shopify Rebellion won the Game Changers Championship, with florescent’s individual performances playing a large part in the run.
Her signing with Apeks in December 2024 put her on the main VCT stage, a first for any Game Changers graduate.
Her 2025 Season and Departure from Apeks
Florescent competed at an individual level well above most of her peers during EMEA Stage 1, finishing in the top 10 players in the league across ACS (235.8), ADR (151.7), and kills per round (0.86) over 12 maps.
But the team around her struggled. Apeks finished EMEA Kickoff in the lower bracket after losing to Gentle Mates in their opening match. During Stage 1, they did not win a single series, taking only two maps, one against Team Heretics and one against NAVI.
Off the server, things were harder. Apeks stated that relocating to Berlin created a bigger distance between florescent and her friends and family, and that she had been dealing with personal and family emergencies that had taken a toll. Despite working with her and her agent on solutions, both sides agreed it was best for her to stop playing.
Florescent said in her own statement that she had relocated to EMEA for bootcamp just days after the Game Changers Championship ended in 2024. She cited personal and family emergencies going back to Kickoff and said several VCT teams had shown interest in buying out her contract, with Apeks telling her she could explore those options.
She stepped back from competing in April 2025. The allegations surfaced about three weeks later.
